Check Yes or No
by A.K.A. Producer Sam
Summary: A Spoby version of George Strait's song "Check Yes or No". When new kid Toby Cavanaugh arrives on the Rosewood Elementary playground on the first day of third grade, he changes the lives of everyone on that playground. Including a young Spencer Hastings.


_**The first day of Third Grade**_**. **Spencer Hastings waited in line with all the other Rosewood Elementary girls to play a game of double dutch. She wasn't good, but she thought she'd give it a try. Melissa and Trish where the double dutch runners since they where in fourth grade-the oldest. Normally the other girls wouldn't let Spencer play, but when Melissa was in control they had too.

Most of the girls where good at double dutch, at home Melissa and Spencer would practice with the Dilaurentis siblings and Spencer was good at it. Maybe because there was less people, and Spencer wouldn't feel the need to compete with so many people. She quietly watched other people play standing in the middle of the line. Getting more and more nervous as the line got shorter.

Allison was standing behind her. Allison was the queen of the playground, she was the one who decided what the girls played and who was allowed to play. Since they where neighbors/ secret friends. She allowed Spencer to play with them.

Spencer was the girl who'd rather play with the boys. Girls just weren't her strong suit. When she was more interested in playing competetivly, the other girls where interested in double dutch, hop scotch, hula hooping and drawing on the pavement. _Where's the fun in that? _She'd always ask herself.

"Can I play?" Aria Montgomery asked Allison. Aria was a small girl, people would often pick on her or push her down. Spencer would always watch her carefully, feeling the need to protect her because she was so quiet and so tiny. Just in case one of the bigger meaner bullies would pick on her. Like Ezra Fitzgerald.

"Why don't you go play with the pre-schoolers? This is for big kids" Mona Vanderwaal replied.

Allison held up her hand. "Mona. Enough." Allison said she smiled at Aria. Spencer watched carefully standing on her tiptoes leaning on the girl in front of her a little. She hoped Ali was going to be nice to Aria, rather than pick on her. "Sure, Aria give it a shot." Allison said. Aria smiled.

"Aria. Why don't you take my turn." Spencer offered. School was about to start and truth is Spencer didn't want to jump rope and embarrass herself on the first day. Better to give it to someone who wanted to.

Aria smiled at Spencer and headed over to play with the guys. Playing touch football with the boys. Noel Kahn came up.

"What?" She asked.

She and Noel used to be friends. Best friends in Daycare more like it. Noel had been the first friend Spencer had made and it wasn't that easy for her to make friends like it had been for her sister who had abandoned her the first day of daycare. If Allison hadn't let her play with the girls, no one would even talk to her.

Noel was different. He had been her first crush. They had hid in the toy kid house and would talk to each other for hours about the most random things, lie next to each other on the cots and watched the movie Finding Nemo. Since that was all the day care would play. When Noel wasn't there Spencer was forced to tag along with Melissa, Jason and Ian.

When they got to school. They had both tried to remain friends, but Noel began to hang out with Ezra Fitzgerald and Ian Thomas. Two of the schools biggest snobbiest rich kids. And they didn't like Spencer very much, so they stopped talking.

"What?" Spencer asked annoyed. She was still a little hurt that Noel had abandoned her and had been known to hold a grudge.

"You see that kid on the swings?" Noel said pointing his thumb behind him. A blond hair boy with the most crystal blue eyes ever sat on the swings, sat watching her. Spencer frowned and scrunched her eyebrows together.

"Yeah?" She said "Why?"

"He's new and no one wants to pla with him." Noel said with a smile "We'd thought you'd like too." Spencer was about to say something clever and snarky when the bell had rang. She had no problems finding Mrs. Montgomery's class. Like she always does, she sits in the front.

...

Toby hated the fact that they had to move away. After his mom died, his dad remarried and they had a child of their own and he hated Jenna. Ever since she was born, his dad spent more time with her and no time with him.

Toby had tried to play with the guys on the playground but they all called him a freak and a weirdo. So he just sat on the swings.

As if his day couldn't have gotten worse, Toby couldn't find his teacher Mrs. Montgomery. He wondered the huge elementary school, with tears streaming down his face. A teacer eventually found him and accused him of skipping class. After seeing his tear stained face the teacher had escorted him to class.

"Class we have a new student today. Please welcome Toby Cavanaugh." She said "Toby why don't you **sit beside Spencer Hastings." **Toby looked to see a girl with a **pink dress, matching bow and her hair up in a ponytail. **She blushed nervously.

"Okay. Mommy." He accidently called Ella. Ella blushed, so did Aria. As the students began to laugh, Spencer sunk farther down into her desk. She felt bad for Toby who clenched his hands together. He quietly sat in his desk.

After that Spencer just wante to get far away from Toby. And since you're in elementary school the only classes that switched where music class and gym class. They rotated on Tuesday and Thursday. Each class taking a day. Today was gym, giving Spencer some time away from Toby who quietly sat in a ball in the corner. They where playing dodgeball and the coach picked Spencer and Noel as team captains.

"Ezra." Noel called.

"Allison." Spencer picked names for awhile Noel of course got most of the good players. The only three people who where left where Aria, Toby, and Lucas.

"Aria." Noel let out an exasperated sigh.

"Lucas." He smiled "Haha you got the freak." Noel smiled sticking his tounge out at Spencer. She watched Toby's eyes water. Her instincts kicked in and she threw a dodgeball at Noel. Clonk it hit his head.

"Spencer!"Coach Baird scolded.

"Sorry, Coach. It slipped." Other students started to laugh, Spencer stuck her tounge out at Noel who stuck his out back. Spencer leaned into Toby and said. "I'm sure Noel will be aiming for you now. I'm extremly good, so you know if you stand behind me. I'll protect you."

**Line Break**

Spencer hated the school bus. Why? Mostly because it contained two of her worse phobias. Clausterphobia and Germophobia. Since her bus was over crowded with elementary students, sometimes it was three to maybe four in a seat. Spencer hated it because it was cramped with obnoxious out of control kids either screaming in a high pitched voice, barking like dogs or kids moving around. Her bus driver was lazy and she did absolutly nothing to control the kids.

She would always yell at the kids in the back for leaving food wrappers on the ground but never clean the floor of the bus. Or she would spend most of her lectures in the morning yelling at the big kids who did absolutly nothing, but never yelling about the annoying obnoxious kid.

Spencer's parents didn't get out of work until five and they forbid her to ride home with the Dilaurentis family or anyone else that was her friend. So she just sat near the window and quietly watched out the windows. If she was lucky and if her grades where good on Friday's her dad would allow her to borrow his casset player and she listen to either classical music or 80's hair bands on it.

Another thing she hated on that bus was Ali never rode it so she didn't have anyone to sit with. Melissa sat with Ian. Noel was picked up. And other people she knew rode different buses.

Today the bus was about to leave when Toby Cavanaugh tripped over the bus staires a few people snickered, she frowned. She quickly turned around to see if there where any seats opened and of course there wasn't.

"Spencer! Turn around and sit down!" That was the only thing the bus driver would yell at the little kids for, turning around in their seats/standing on their seats/moving around to seat to seat when the bus was moving. She yelled at any kid who did that. Except the older ones.

Another thing she suspected was that the bus driver hated her, because she would always reply back with snarky comments and tell the principle on her. She swore she was this close to telling her mom about the bus driver because then she knew she would get results.

"Hey Spencer, it looks like you have someone to sit by." Ian shouted, Spencer's face turned red in embarrasment.

"Yeah well." She turned around and was about to yell some snark comment when Megan and her sister yelled at her.

"Spencer!" She turned around, and plopped herself on the seat. She folded her arms and pouted..

Toby sat next to the girl on the school bus, this had offically been the worse day of his life now he had to sit with a girl. The same girl who had protected him from getting hit with dodgeballs by Noel, Ian and Ezra who had been tormenting him all day. At this point he just wanted to go home. Spencer watched the sad boy sit down, he had had a bad day and she felt sorry for him. **So she kissed him and told him not to tell. **

**Line Break**

Spencer couldn't sleep that night. So she snuck into Melissa's room, rubbing her eyes she asked. "Melissa do you like Ian?" She asked. She heard Melissa mumble.

"What?" She asked.

"Do you like Ian?"

"Yeah." She said sitting up. "Spencer? What are you doing up?"

"I think I like Toby."

"Who's Toby- Oh. The Freak." Mllessa said.

Spencer frowned. "He's not a freak." She defended. Remembering what Toby told her about his mom and his dad.

"Okay. Chill." Melissa said. "Why did you ask if I like Ian" Through the dark Melissa cracked a huge smile, her eyes went wide. "Oh my God! You like him"

"Keep it down, I don't want to get in trouble by mom and dad." She panicked looking towards the hallway. "Can I sleep with you tonight? I can't sleep."

"Fine," Melissa agreed. "Just don't kick me in your sleep again." Spencer crawled into Melissa's bed and she tucked her in. "Love you Spencer." She told her. Spencer smiled.

"Love you too. Melissa."

**...**

The next day at school Toby bravely sat on the swing. Noel woul come by every now and again to torment the poor kid. Today the girls where playing four sqaure a game the teachers had banned Spencer from when she accidently smacked the ball to far and hit another girl in the nose-breaking it.

So she was playing 'Jackpot' a football game with the boys. When she saw Ezra Fitzgerald and Ian Thomas push Aria down. She fell and started to cry. Spencer was about to throw when she saw Ezra tormenting Aria calling her a cry baby.

Spencer dropping the ball she ran over to stop Ezra but Toby was there first. He shoved Ezra into the wooden rock wall and threatened him. "Pick on someone your own size."

"Okay freak." Ezra smiled hhe punched Toby in the eye and he fell. Spencer and Noel ran up to him and helped him up.

"You okayy buddy?" Noel asked brushing the dirt off. "Because that was awesome." He said. Toby looked in confusion.

"Yeah"He muttered "I'm fine." Noel went to help Aria up.

"You okay."

"Mommy?" She cried. Noel frowned when she saw her bloody cut knees.

"I'll take her to Mrs. Montgomery's." Noel said. Spencer went to check on Toby.

"You want to play a game with me?" Spencer asked "I was banned from four sqaure." She replied Toby raised his eyebrows.

That day he **chased her 'round the playground, across the monkey bars and to the merry go round. **When the bell rang they walked inside holding hands, during class Spencer had written a note and passed it to Toby. **Before the teacher took it, he read what she wrote.**

**"Do you love me, do you want to be my friend?**

**And if you do**

**Well then don't be afraid to take me by the hand**

**If you want to **

**I think this is how love goes check yes or no."**

When Ella had read the note out loud some of the boys snickered other's waited. Mostly the girls to see Toby's response. Taking Spencer by her hand had been the best decesion that Toby had ever made.

They had been that couple in middle school/high school that everyone was jealous of. Even the teachers. They rarely fought and when they did they would take small breaks to spend time with their friends.

They had been popular through out high school but stuck with their "small" group of Noel and Mona who had become a couple, Ezra and Aria who had a love/hate relationship until senior year. Allison of course. And a few new friends like Hanna, Caleb Emily and Paige. They liked that it was just the eleven of them.

**Nothing has changed since then though**. Besides two kids, a dog and that white picket fence. Spencer and Toby **still like two kids with stars in their eyes, he would still chase **Spencer **up and down the hall and around the bed in their room.**

**Last night **Toby **took her out in a white limousine **to celebrate twenty years together. When they got home they found their fifteen year old daughter passed out on the couch, surrounded by her school work. Toby looked at his daughter and smiled as he watched his wife tuck her in. To him it was unbelievable, **twenty years together and she still got to him. **Spencer kissed her daughter's temple and smiled.

Spencer **couldn't believe they had started from a small little note **to two children and a home. She began to clean her daughter's mess up, other wise it would bother her all night.

There where times she'd really see herself in her children. Her daughter especially. She had been lucky to inherit both Spencer's competetive side but still have Toby's soft gentle human nature. Their son was a lovable oaf, never took things too seriously.

When stacking her notebooks into a pile, Spencer noticed that one of her's was opened. Never on to pry into her children'ts lives, Spencer almost closed it until she saw something that made her smile.

"Toby." She said in a whisper

"Yeah. Spence" Toby asked

"Come look at this." Toby walkedup and stood behind his wife and cracked a smile when he saw the very words Spencer had writen to him.

**"Do you love me?**

**Do you wanna be my friend?**

**And if you do**

**Well, then don't you be afraid to take me by the hand**

**If you want to **

**I think this is how love goes, check yes or no."**

And it was checked a yes.

He looked. "Who wrote this?" He asked "It's not Cat's handwriting." He pointed

"She's been working on a project with someone she didn't like." Spencer said "This isn't her notebook."

"Who is it?" Toby askd flipping to the front page they where shocked to see who's name was scribbled on the front cover, obviously out of boredom.

Mike Kahn.


End file.
